Cold, cold, go away!

My cold and flu have been keeping me from writing reviews.  I just don't have the energy yet to think too much.

This weekend, I watched 7th Grade Civil Servant episodes 9 and 10.  Hm mm....What do I think about the progress in the story so far?  There really isn't a whole lot of progress in terms of the "mission".  With regards to the relationship between the two main characters, there could have been if not for Seo Won's younger brother.  Gil-ro was right when he said that her family's timing is always perfect.  Hahhahah!  Why do they always appear in the middle of crucial event?  I thought finally, they can move on from the push and pull game to the real thing but, oh well.  If that's how it should be.  But the writer better prepare something interesting later.  I am hoping.  The ending of episode 10 was epic.  This is not the first time that they have done something like this and I am excited for what's to come.

I have also seen the episode 2 through 5 of That Winter, The Wind Blows.  I like how Oh Soo's frozen solid heart starts to melt because of Oh Young's circumstances.  Yes, I wouldn't say innocence because she's not.  She has her own dark side.  Something that she shouldn't be blamed for but I would get into details on this some other time when I do the review.  I just really enjoy watching that show.  I normally feel bored watching melodrama but this is something different.  Sometimes, I wonder if the actors and actresses have to do with my liking towards it.  I haven't seen the movie and I don't intend to because that would probably ruin it for me.  I don't want to know what the ending could possibly be. 

And of course, how can I miss Pretty Boy Next Door.  Last Wednesday I tried to watch last Monday's episodes but I just don't have the energy to even last an hour in front of the computer.  On these two latest episodes, I don't really have a whole lot to say since there really wasn't anything significantly big that happened.  But hey, I might change my mind.  How?  Well, usually when I write my review, I watch the episodes over and over to see the different facets or depths if there is any.  I might see more than just what I first saw.  Who knows. 

For now, this would be it... See you next time! :)

Drama Review: That Winter, The Wind Blows Episode 1

That Winter, The Wind Blows

Episode 1



Oh Young

Song Hye Gyo is back in this intense drama and once again, she left me in awe of both her beauty and talent.  She’s the blind heir, Oh Young, of a big conglomerate, PL group.  Her parents separated when she was six which also cause her to grow up away from her mom and only brother.  After so many years, her dad fell ill and eventually died—if only the secretary that her dad trusted more than his own daughter did something when the alarm went off [in the chairman’s room].  It was the same time when she left their mansion to look for her brother which unfortunately was killed in a car accident while running after his Hyung whom he shared the same name—Oh Soo.



Drama Review: 7th Grade Civil Servant Episode 8

7^th Grade Civil Servant

Episode 8



Finally, they decided to be true to their feelings amidst the chaos and lies.
"You can close your eyes to the things you do not want to see, but you cannot close your heart to the things you do not want to feel.”



Leo Nikolaevich Tolstoy was right when he said, "...pleasure lies not in discovering truth, but in seeking it."  I'm sure Do-ha is not finding it pleasurable now that he had discovered the truth. 



           This episode is a confirmation of feelings.  Do-ha confirmed that Seo Won doesn’t have any romantic feelings for him.  Seo Won and Gil-ro confirmed their mutual liking for each other.  Although Seo Won sets some boundaries— liking not loving—the truth that their feelings is beyond liking is undeniable.

Poll Result: Most Beautiful Korean Drama Actress

Who is the most beautiful Korean Drama actress?

Atleast among the list of actresses I included in the poll, it appears that Park Shin Hye is the most beautiful.  I don't know if her consistently popular show, Flower Boy Next Door had to do with the people's choice or just like me, a lot have noticed her innocent beauty.  Anyways, the result may not be "the ultimate result" because aside from the ones in my list, there are a lot of pretty Korean actresses.  Actually, Korea has the most beautiful, in my opinion, among Eastern Asian countries.  So anyways, here's the result:

Park Shin Hye -- 40%

Yoon Eun Hye -- 23%

Song Hye Gyo -- 20%

Kim Tae Hee --  11%

Kim Eugene --  6%

Thank you for all your support!!!

Drama Review: 7th Garde Civil Servant Episode 7

7^th Grade Civil Servant

Episode 7

It is getting harder and harder to find a good link to this show with English Subtitles.  I am a little disappointed that www.viki.com hasn’t been able to secure a license to air this legally here in the US.  They have always been really reliable when it comes to speed and of course being able to air the shows without any commercial interruptions.  In the meantime, www.dramafever.com is another alternative.

The beginning of episode 7 is the continuation of that crazy and hilarious scene with Seo Won’s parents.  Like I mentioned before, this drama is so good at making parodies on clichés whether intentional or not—I enjoy them all! There were more funny scenes in the past episodes than this one but the show is just as captivating.  It is surprisingly enigmatic in a way—showing the more serious side of their jobs as agents, makes the show more complex instead of a simple romantic comedy amidst the supposed complicated and dangerous life of NIS agents.  This show is an epitome of un-dogmatic romantic comedy.  The romance and the comedy facets were done in a way that both would look so natural. 

Excited About 7th Grade Civil Servant Episodes 7& 8

Help! I'm Addicted to 7th Grade Civil Servant!

I have been painfully pulling time for this day to come!  I am very happy to welcome Wednesday.  This means Episode 7 of my new addiction.  I can't wait to see what will happen to our Seo Won.  Will her cover be exposed?  How will Gil-ro take this?  And what about Do-ha?  How will he explain his presence in Seo Won's apartment, or worse him hiding in her closet?  How will Won Suk come into play to save every one's scalp from Seo Won's parents?!

I trust the people behind this drama to pull out some tricks under their sleeves to make this show even more riveting.

Drama Review: Flower Boy Next Door Episode 11 & 12

Flower Boy Next Door

Episode 11 & 12

What can I say?  Episode 11 contained majority of the drama and realization of hidden feelings.  Episode 12 on the other hand has the fluffy stuff!  Both episodes were pretty short as usual but since the show maintained its feel good aura, I am pretty satisfied. 

In the beginning of episode 11, Dok Mi declared an ending to her relationship [whatever kind that was] with Enrique and everybody else including Jin Rak.  At first Enrique thought that Dok Mi pretty much chose the other over him but at the end he realized it was just her way of saying goodbye to Jin Rak.  This was a total disappointment.  Anyways, before that part, while in the museum she learned about Enrique's accident and she wasn't able to mask her real concerns about the first.  This was very apparent that Jin Rak knew he had to take her to the hospital where Enrique was.  It was a good thing that he wasn't hurt so badly and Dok Mi felt relieved.  Later, they both went back to her apartment.  She cooked something for him while he watches t.v.  Enrique noticed she already packed her stuff.  That's how he knew that the supposed date with Jin Rak was actually her last goodbye.  He wasn't able to resist getting upset.  In the end, he told her he will be gone-- he won't bug her anymore.  He turned around ready to leave when she stopped him and later confessed that she has been liking him. 

That scene was pretty dramatic specially that it ended with a kiss.  It wasn't the Jang Geun Suk kind of kiss which I must admit I was kind of hoping to see because Enrique has that kind of cuteness.  I wish Park Shin Hye could have done a better job-- all she needed was to open her mouth a bit!  Oh that would have been hot.  Looking at the details of what exactly happen in that few seconds of their lips together, Enrique opened his but hers was shut.  But, you know, it's alright.  That drama was still there.  I was toatlly touched by the scene-- the wasy she said her lines;  the way he gazed at her while she's confessing;  When he came closer to her and said, once again, he can hear her without her saying naything.  The sincerity was undeniable.  Unless I watch Asian dramas, I really won't be able to see innocence and love in one sentence, if you know what I mean.  In a lot of western movies, you'll see characters who will be totally nasty to each other then suddenly the woman will be on top of the man and all I can do is ask, "what the heck happened?!" That scene made me want to pull time as fast as I could until it's time to watch the next episode.

Drama Review: 7th Grade Civil Servant Episode 6

7^th Grade Civil Servant

Episode 6

“I’m sorry.”

“I followed you.”

“I couldn’t believe in you so I followed you.”

“You’re living the best out of your life.  But someone like me couldn’t believe in you.”

“I’m sorry about that.”

“I’m not feeling sorry about this.”

Drama Review: 7th Grade Civil Servant Episode 5

7^th Grade Civil Servant

Episode 5

            Kyung Ja who is now pretending to be Kim Jung Woo did a good job during the interview.  She was on her way out of the room when Gil-roo (Han Pil Hoon) stopped her.  He had questions about her identity.  He wanted to make sure that whatever information she wrote on her resume are all true and valid.  Once again, a battle of words between the two occurred which was thought to be entertaining by Mi Rae and the other company director.  It was funny to see how Gil-ro tried to control his disappointment when Seo Won (Kyung Ja a.k.a. Kim Jung Woo) blurted out that she has a lover and that she and her lover love each other.  That was so much “love” in one sentence!  Obviously he was jealous but oh boy, would he even let her have the privilege to rejoice over that!

            I like how Mi Rae can bring out the snobbish side of Gil-ro.  She herself is a smarty pants but she has the wits to back it up.  Her character is becoming more and more interesting as the show progresses.

Drama Review: Flower Boy Next Door Episode 10

Flower Boy Next Door

Episode 10

“This isn’t all of a sudden.”

“Honestly I was trying to find a reason.”

“Trying to find a reason not to leave.”

“The reason I can’t leave is in me.”

            These are some of the lines Enrique told Seo Won.   He doesn’t want to leave.  He hoped the reason not to leave would just present itself like the book company, the theater, the gaming company. But it didn’t.  Despite that he can’t leave…

“It’s okay so far.”

“You can stop right now and leave.”

“I was deceiving myself like that.”

“But you know me.   Once I start the game, I need to see how it ends.  I can’t just end it here.”

Drama Review: Flower Boy Next Door Episode 9

Flower Boy Next Door

Episode 9

            This episode picks up from the last one when Seo Young asked Enrique in front of both Tae Joon and Dok Mi [primarily because of Tae Joon] to go back to Spain with her.  When I first heard her I thought, gosh, what is her problem?  Why does she have to drag Enrique with her?  But later when she left on her own after Tae Joon didn’t show any reaction but a cold “take care”, I realized that what she did was her last shot to getting any concrete proof of how much Tae Joon really values her.  Unfortunately things didn’t go her way.

            Dok Mi, on the other hand, is very hard to figure out.  At least on Enrique’s perspective, it is kind of hard since she doesn’t really say much especially when it comes to her true feelings about things in front of people involved.  In addition, she always avoids a conversation when she is the subject.  Sometimes I wonder, what is she really trying to avoid?

Drama Review: 7th Grade Civil Servant Episode 4

7^th Grade Civil Servant

Episode 4

“There’s only one path I take.  It’s all for the country.”

“Making mistake is better than having regrets.”

“This is something I am doing for my colleagues.”

“They would be with me whether we live or we die.  I have to believe in them.”
                                                                                           ~ Gil- ro

            The game continued.  Won Suk has 4 kings.  Gil-ro has a pair of ace.  Won Suk obviously has the winning combination.  He should have won but he chose to give in—he let Gil-ro win by showing only 2 of his cards.  Everyone was happy that they got their salary back. 

            I think Gil-ro’s words are like reminders of Won Suk’s friend and comrade, Sung Joon.  It was a pretty cool scene that featured Gil-ro’s maturity and readiness.  He may be a little childish in ways more than one but there is something in him that differentiates him from the rest.  Very subtly, this episode showed how keen of an observer he is.  The ear movement of Won Suk which he obviously did on purpose was observed only by Gil-ro.  His conclusion may not be 100% accurate but that’s partly because it’s a test.  His sensitivity to what’s going on in his surrounding is undeniable.

Drama Review: 7th Grade Civil Servant Episode 3

7^th Grade Civil Servant

Episode 3

            “That’s right.  My father is a diplomat.”  Kyung Ja answered with her confidence rising through the roof.  She followed it up by reciting all of her supposed personal information—address, security number, siblings, etc. with so much conviction that even the lie detector was bamboozled.  Young Soon announced what flashed onto the screen in subtle amazement—“true”.  Gil-ro was baffled and surprised.  He knew it was all a lie but he couldn’t understand how she’s able deceive the detector.  The tension was getting higher and Won Suk knew he needed to step in.  “Are you in your right mind?  What’s the motive of this training? This isn’t the place to tell the truth,” Won Suk blurted out.  The new recruits were so convinced with Won Suk’s acting just as much as they were with Kyung Ja’s lies.  Before they were dismissed, Kyung Ja was penalized by 15 points.  She harshly pulled all those lie detector wires taped on her during the polygraph testing and left the room stomping.  But before that, she gave Gil-ro a piercing look.

Drama Review: 7th Grade Civil Servant

7^th Grade Civil Servant

Episode 1&2

******

Kim Kyung Ja & Han Pil Hoon

            Due to the economic crisis being experienced by South Korea, the unemployment rate went up.  Students have a harder time paying their tuition fees.  One of those students is Kim Kyung Ja.  She has several part time jobs to manage going to school.  There were times when she had to stop due to lack of financial capability to enroll.  On the other hand, a son of a businessman chose to study to become a member of NIS—a civil servant, without having to worry about financial glitch.  Although his dad is totally against his plan, he is determined to pursue his dreams which started after he watched the James Bond Movie, 007.  This is our male lead, Han Pil Hoon.  He lives a lifestyle a far cry from that of Kyung Ja.  He drives a fancy car, living his dreams and on his way to his ultimate goal—to be a real life James Bond.